Front pages (and usually back, middle or other pages) chosen at random (more or less) from my collection of mostly 20th Century mostly British newspapers. Weekly new posts on Sundays, a Random Cutting on Wednesdays and a Random Advert on Fridays.

Sunday, 15 September 2013

Japs Begin to Give up Arms

Sunday Pictorial dated Sunday August 19th
1945

Click to Read

On August 6th 1945 the USAAF dropped an atomic bomb on the
city of Hiroshima in Japan. On August 9th
a second atomic bomb was dropped, this time on the city of Nagasaki. On the
15th Emperor Hirohito broadcast a radio message to his Empire announcing the
surrender of Japan to the Allies, although the formal surrender wasn’t signed
until September 2nd.

Officially a state of war existed between the USA and Japan
right up to April 1952.

Click to Read

A 2 page spread proves that the War is over… for some.
That’s Marlene Dietrich on the right doing her bit for peace.

Click to Read

When Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated in Czechoslovakia in
1942 it was Karl Hermann Frank and Heydrich’s replacement Kurt Daluege that
organized the total destruction of the village of Lidice and its people. Both
Frank and Daluege were convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by
hanging.

Click to Read

The civil war between Chiang Kai-Shek and the communists
under Mao Tse-Tung went on until 1949 when Mao forced Kai-Shek and his people
to evacuate from the mainland to the island of Taiwan.

Click to Read

Since she (or he) was first sighted in 1871 the Loch Ness
Monster has been a staple ‘light relief’ item for newspapers.

Click to Read

Maria Anna Minges (sometimes written Marianne) was sentenced
to death twice in 1949 by a French Military court, but was inexplicably given a
free pardon in 1950.

Click to Read

The War may have been won but the political battles between
Labour and Conservative continued. Winston Churchill’s wartime National
Government was replaced by Clem Attlee’s Labour Government in the General
Election of July 1945.

“… too easy for too long for politicians to evade
responsibility for their blunders..” Well I’m glad that sort of thing doesn’t
happen these days!

Click to Read

I wonder if little Colin Dexter is out there now still
defying death. He’d be about 75.

Click to Read

The demobilization of about 5 million men and women began in
June 1945, the last wartime conscript being returned to civvy-street in 1949.
No wonder there were strikes by disgruntled service men.

Click to Read

A typical example of the perennial Sunday newspaper exposé
of vice. All that is missing is the ‘I was invited up to her room but made my
excuses and left’ line.

Click to Read

The 18-month National Service imposed on most 18
year-old men lasted from the end of the War until 1960.

Click to Read

Footballers threatening to go on strike because some were
being paid £8 a match and others only £4. Makes you wonder how Gareth Bale will
survive on only £250,000 a week.